I am always thankful when a public figure comes out and talks about a painful journey they have had, especially when it comes to mental health and trying to navigate our broken American health system. This is important because I have shared my own mental health journey frequently to help other small business owners who encounter a similar path when building their company. I have found mental health issues are very common among entrepreneurs as they try to deal with the stress of building and running their companies.
On The Small Business Radio Show, Congressman Adam Smith who represents the 9th District of the State of Washington discusses his long frightful journey. He was reelected to his 14th term in 2022 and has been the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee since 2011. Congressman Smith has served as chair of the committee from 2018–2022 when the Democrats controlled the majority in the US House. He is the author of “Lost and Broken: My Journey Back from Chronic Pain and Crippling Anxiety”.
We first addressed the issues that are going on in the current Congress today, how they got here and the possible solutions to the problems that face that institution.
I then asked Congressman Smith when his chronic pain started and how he first dealt with it. He discusses all the ways he tried to deal with it and how the limitations of our nation’s healthcare hampered a solution in his desperate search for the right diagnosis and treatment for his mental and physical pain.
Congressman Smith talks about why he wrote the book and why it was important for him to share publicly with his mental health challenges. He wanted others to know how he eventually was able to heal and what others can do that suffer from similar physical and emotional challenges.
Listen to Congressman Smith’s entire interview on The Small Business Radio Show.
Image: Rep. Adam Smith